Other Voices: U.va. And A Living Wage

June 04, 2006|By MEREDITH RICHARDS

In July 2000 the city of Alexandria became the first Virginia municipality to enact an ordinance requiring a living wage for all employees working for private contractors who do business with the city. In November 2001, two years after first adopting a "living wage" budget for all city employees, the Charlottesville City Council broadened the city's commitment to a living wage by enacting a contract ordinance similar to Alexandria's. Arlington County followed next, and now the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors is debating adopting a similar living wage ordinance for contract workers.

The University of Virginia, on the other hand, professes that it is powerless under existing law to adopt living wage provisions that would include the thousands of employees who work for private employers who perform services under contract to U.Va.

The difference between the localities that enacted living wage ordinances and U.Va. is one of "will" rather than "way." These localities confronted the same legal obstacles as the university but nonetheless found a legal way to provide for the living wage.

Each locality has used a common technique to establish living wage requirements for contractors while staying within Virginia law. The method they use is available to all public bodies in Virginia, including importantly, the University of Virginia. It relies upon sound and well-established economic principles that set forth a compelling economic link between higher wages for contract employees and the value of the services they provide.

The "way" used by local governments utilizes a concept of state law called "best value," which gives public bodies authority under the Virginia Public Procurement Act to specify, as a condition for awarding contracts to private businesses, standards for achieving the highest quality or "best value" of the services being solicited. When seeking bids for towing, landscaping, trash collection, mowing, housekeeping or moving services, for example, Charlottesville can specify that it will consider bids only from contractors who satisfy certain "best value" standards. One of these standards under the city's ordinance is that contractors pay a living wage.

The economic principle linking "best value" to a living wage is simple, straightforward and well-established: Higher pay and benefits attract more qualified employees who deliver better services. With higher base pay, employees are more productive, have higher morale and lower turnover, require less supervision and experience less absenteeism. A stable and motivated work force saves the contractor (and, ultimately, the public body) the significant production losses and replacement costs that accompany constantly recruiting and training new employees when there are high turnover rates.

Educational institutions play an essential and noble role in society. They pass on knowledge to a new generation. They perpetuate our culture, values and history for future generations. But providing an education for some should not require that others live in poverty. A university should not perpetuate the economic disparities and social inequities that enable the children of some citizens to have the privilege of attending the university while the children of others have the privilege of working there for poverty wages.

John Casteen is a superb university president who has taken many courageous and just actions during his presidency. Now, he has another opportunity. He can lead his Board of Visitors in requiring a living wage as a standard of procurement for contract services, and assign his bank of lawyers the task of defending the university's action if it becomes necessary. He can lead this and other state institutions in becoming advocates for change in state law. He can commit his presidency to being a major player in solving the problem of unacceptably high rates of poverty in Central Virginia. An institution as powerful and proud as U.Va. should be leading the way toward economic equity and social justice for all generations to witness.